Italian-style summer pasta salad

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 250 g pasta (e.g. penne or farfalle), possibly whole-wheat pasta
• 500 g zucchini
• 1 tbsp olive oil for frying
• n. B. Italian herbs, dried or fresh, approx. 1 – 2 tbsp
• 3 tbsp basil pesto
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 250 g date tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• possibly white wine or vegetable broth

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Simply delicious – whether vegan or vegetarian, lukewarm or cold, at home or for a picnic/barbecue…

First, boil the pasta water, then cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Clean and dice the zucchini (about 1 cm in size). Grease the pan with oil and brown the zucchini cubes all over. As soon as they’re done, stir in the herbs and add everything to the salad bowl. Add the pesto and vinegar. Halve or quarter the tomatoes lengthwise, depending on their size, and add them as well. As soon as the pasta is done, drain it and mix it in – if necessary, with a little pasta water or a splash of white wine or broth (especially if you want the salad to marinate – otherwise it will be too dry). This salad tastes delicious fresh and still lukewarm, but also cooled. We like it for barbecues, picnics, and also at home as a summer meal. Since it’s quick to prepare and doesn’t need any marinating time, it’s also great for preparing or bringing to a spontaneous barbecue. Variations: Instead of classic pesto, you can prepare the salad with pesto rosso, wild garlic pesto, tapenade, or something similar, as desired. If you want even more flavor, add dried tomatoes marinated in oil, sliced ​​into strips, roughly chopped black olives, cleaned and roughly torn arugula leaves, torn basil leaves, or something similar. If you want the salad to be a bit more substantial, add about 125g of diced mozzarella (or halved mozzarella balls). This makes the salad vegetarian, but no longer vegan. You can easily double the recipe for a party; if there are more dishes, the salad is also enough for 8-10 people.